How To Bend a Steel Pipe

Modern pipes are made of plastic, stainless steel, and copper. Manufacturers deal with these materials because they are more efficient. But plenty of household plumbing is still made of old materials and in that case, when repairs become necessary for those kinds of pipes, it is important that you still have knowledge as to how to work with them. One of these neessary skills is how to bend a steel pipe.

Here are the ways to bend a steel pipe, the basic steps to help you out with this task. Just keep in mind that not all options will work for all pipes. The thickness and diameter of the pipe that you are trying to bend determines which step should be used. You may check with the manufacturer or supplier to make certain.

Vise grip. You can bend the pipe with the aid of this tool. Here is how you will do it: Place one end of the pipein the vice grip. Start bending it while exerting pressure until the desired shape is achieved. As a basic requirement, the pipe should be packed with sand so it does not crease or collapse. However, this method is only good for thin types of pipe.

Another pipe. Having two pipes placed end-to-end may help you force it to bend. Please be reminded that you need heat for thick pipes to soften them a bit. But for thin ones, heat is not necessary.

Bender. It would ease up your pipe bending when you use tools manufactured for such a task. Manufacturers have come up with electric conduit benders and even a hydraulic pipe bender for faster use.

Someone else's machines. There are a lot of businesses out there that do this kind of job. A considerable price is collected; however, it is all worth it because in the end the results are reliable. Compared to the results that you can achieve when at home, they have all applicable and necessary machines.

The job of bending a pipe can be done either at home or at a specialty house. However, if by any chance you have to do it at home, please ensure that you take all necessary precautions. Working with metals is a dangerous thing to deal with. When dealing with them, especially when you are about to use heat, you need to know that holes should be drilled in the caps of the pipe because they have the capacity to burst when heated too much.